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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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316 
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ON 



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PREPARED WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE 



TO THE 



HOWGATE GRANT, 



ON LAKE GEORGE. 



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NEW YORK: 
Benj. H. Tyrrkl, Printer, 74 Maiden Lane. 

1881. 



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K&nT 4 W. V\ow ^alt. 



NOTES ON FLORIDA 



PREPARED WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE 



TO THE 



HO\VGATE GRANT, 



ON LAKE GEORGE. 3 



NEW YORK: 
Benj. H. Tyrrbl, Printer, 74 Maiden Lane. 

1881. 






^ <^ 



'=!• NOTES ON FLORIDA.^ 



THE CLIMATE OF FLORIDA. 

The climate of Florida is distinctly semi-tropical and the seasons differ 
radically from those of every other part of the Union. A trade wind ; an 
alternate land and sea breeze; a drj^ and a wet season, and great uniformitj' 
of temperature are its prominent characteristics. The Gulf Stream, here 
flowing close to the coast, brings the warmth of equatoiial seas, and the 
pei-petual verdure and bloom of the tropics. 

The changes of the seasons, as recognized farther North, are scarcely 
perceptible here. Even in mid-winter one sees around him only verdure 
and flowers. The deciduous trees are so few that the fall of their leaves late 
in the autumn or early in the winter is hardly observed. The forests are 
still as green as in summer; the grass is fresh in the pine openings; the yel- 
low jessamine hangs in wreaths of golden bloom overhead; the houstoniaand 
the violet nestle underfoot; and a thousand l)irds warble in the myrtle thick- 
ets, or among the shining leaves of the live oak and the magnolia. 

Of winter, properly speaking there is none. What is called hy that 
name closely resembles that lirief season of Autumnal relenting known 
at the North as "Indian Summer," except that the skies are clear and blue. 
The atmosphere is dry and elastic, very little rain falls and cloudless days 
are continuous for weeks. There is an average of 250 clear days in the 
year and the number is proportionally gi-eatest in the winter. Of actual 
rainy days, statistics show that the average is for Dec. 4.5 ; for Jan. 6.6 ; 
andfor Feb. 3.6. 

The months of March, April, Maj^ September and October are generally 
pretty warm but never oppressively hot. Including them all under the 
Ue^d of Summer, that season, as a whole, is quite as pleasant as the winter. 



NOTES ON FLORIDA. 



The comparative coolness of the summer in Florida, contrary to the gen- 
erally received opinion, is as marked a characterisic as the mildness of ihe 
winter. The thermometer often marks a higher flgiire in New York or 
Boston than in St. Augustine or Tampa. At New Smyrna, on tlie Alhmtio 
coast, near the 29th parallel of latitude, tlic average temperature of the 
summer is 82% and that of the wliole year 72'^. 

The comjiarative coolness of the Florida Summer, especially on tlie 
peninsula, is owing, in a great measure, to^its position Itetween two seas. 
From the cast it is fanned hy the cool snd bracing hreczes of the Atlantic, 
and from the west by the balmier but refreshing airs of the Gulf of Mexico, 
both of which are distinctly felt at the centre of the State, across which 
they seem to chase eacli other back and forth. 

The rainy season commences from the tlrst to the fifteentli of July and 
generally continues till the middle of September, during which time it 
usually rains nearly every day, but seldom all day. Tlie showers generally 
commence about one o'clock p. m., and are entirely over before six oclock. 
They are often accompanied by heavy thunder and tlie most vivid light- 
ning. The nights and mornings during this sca.son are clear and cool. 

HEALTHFULNESS OF FLORIDA. 

It is hardly necessary to discuss the general henlthfulness of a State, 
which has become known as the great Sanitarium of the Union. There is 
a very general impression abroad, however, even among those who re.soi t 
to it in winter, that it, is hardly a safe place to live tlie yearrcmnd. There 
could not be a greater mistake, wiien tlie State is considered as a whole. 
There are, it is true, unhealthful localities, as in every other extensive re- 
gion, and, as in all new countries, the opening of the forests and lueak- 
ing up of the soil, engender more or less malaria, and give rise, in con- 
stitutions duly prepared by a bad diet and unhealthful habits, for the 
germination of the seeds of disease, to chills and bilious remittent fevers. 
These fevers are of a much milder type than those of the We.st. but I ad- 
vise no one to invite them by setiling where they prevail, while there are 
so many unoccupied locations in ^'arious parts of the State, where they are 
unknown, and where no local cause of disease of any kind exists 

Of the curative effects of the climate and the open air life which it per- 
mits and encourages, in the case of consumption and other chroqic diseases 



NOTES ON FLORIDA. 



of the chest and bronchial tubes, or of the digestive organs, there can, of 
course, no longer be any doubt. There are individuals to be found in 
almost every neighborhood who can bear testimony to this fact, from per- 
sonal experience. Rheumatism also, generally disappears here, especially 
when the victim comes to stay. If you are an invalid, do not trust to a 
winter visit or to any number of winter visits, but make 3 ourself a comfort- 
able home here, either in town or country. Come here to lice. 

ADVANTAGES OF FLORIDA. 

1. A fine climate (mild in winter and not excessively hot in summer) 
n early always enjoyable and suitable for outdoor labor and recreation. 

2. Healthfulness (if suitable localities be chosen) all the year round, 
with no doctor's and druggist's bills to pay. 

3. Cheap lands and a soil easily worked, and. when rightly cultivated, 
•largely productive. 

4. A greater variety of crops and some of them far more remunerative 
ones than those generally grown at the North, while at the same time the 
seasons permit the making of two and .sometimes three crops on the same 
ground, within twelve months. 

5. No snow, frost or cold to prevent work, at any season of the year, 
and no winter to provide food, forage and fuel for heating, the soil produc- 
ing more or less of the first two at all seasons, and but little of the last be- 
ing required, except for cooking. 

6. Less expensive buildings and clothing are required and but slight pro- 
tection for stock. 

7. Having all seasons for work, the farmer need work no more thfln 
one-half or two-thirds t>f the time to produce results etiual to those attained 
by working early and late, all the available time, at the North. (3ne-tliird 
of the northern farmer's time and labor is required to provide for the 
family and stock duiing six or eight mouths of cold weather. 

8. The pleasure of lireathing, at all times, the pure air of heaven, in- 
stead of the deadly gasses generated in close, stove-heated rooms, and of 



« NOTES ON FLORIDA. 



being surrounded, winter and summer alike, by verdure and flowers, as 
■well as by growing focd crops. 

The land tbrotfghout the Slate is generally level, nnd is of no great 
height above the sea level. In the most northern portion it ismoreor le.ss 
rolling or hilly, while the extreme soulhern portion is low and flat. The 
central portion is an elevated tnble land, through which flow large rivers 
which frfciucnlly widen into beautiful lakes, and in most localities is 
heavily timbered . 

Florida lands are classified as pine lands, hammocks, lands covered 
with hard words, and lastly, the swamp lands. These classes are asiain 
distinguished as first, second and third cjuality of pine lands; high ham- 
mocks and low ones ; inland prairies; the savannahs of the coast; and the 
everglades. The greater portion of the Stale is covered with the pitch and 
yellow pine. The liammoc ks, of both kinds, are di-n.'^ely covered with 
haid woods, i:\icli as live caks, other species of oak. hickory, ash, mag- 
nolia, green, birch, cedar, cypress and bay. The level and rnlliug lands, 
and the table lands, are mostly covered with the pitch and yellow pine. 
The swamp lands are more or less timbered with pine, cypress and cedar 
and other soft woods. The savannahs are covered with grass, with occa- 
sionally a cabbage palm tree, while the everglades are vast prairies which 
are more or less undir wjiter for much of the year. 

nf all these lands, the poorest will produce semi-tropical fruits and 
fibrous plants, which have a commercial value, and in an abundance 
which is almost incredible. Tlic tirsl rate pine lands, as they are desig- 
nated, are gcneially elevated and rolling, covered with a dark vegetable 
mold sevenil Inches deep, lying on a chocolate-colored sandy louni mixed 
with pebble and lime, and under this is clay over lime-stone rock. The 
timber is very regularly distribiited, and is almost wholly of pitch pine, 
which grows very uniformly, iiotli in .size and length: straight, luxuriant 
grass covers the soil underneath the trees, and no undergrowth is seen ex- 
cept along the margins of the water courses. These lands have a durable 
fertility, and are well adapted to the usual agricultiual products and semi- 
tropical Iruits. They are found to withstand drouth well, and in rainy 
seasons, growing crops are not affected, except favorably. These hinds 
are healthy, the water is pure, and it costs little to prepare them for culti- 
vation. It is noticeable tli.it the early settlers selected these lands, 
especially for residences and home farms, health, pure water, freedom 



nOTES ON FLORIDA. 



from insects, good soil for crops and fruit, and ease of cultivation. They 
produce well for years without fertilizing. 

The second rate pine lauds, which are also heavily timbered with pine, 
are more or less high and rolling, are well watered, the surface soil is not 
deep, are underlaid with marl, clay or limestone, and produce well for a 
few years; fertilized, they yield good crops of cotton, corn, cane and root 
crops; when properly cultivated, they are superior for serai-tropical 
fruits. Experienced growers have selected this class of land for groves. 

The third rate pine lands consist of high rolling sandy ridges, sparsely 
covered with scrubby, straggling black jack and pine, and also of low, flat 
lands, frequently swampy, with a growth of cypress, in the rainy season 
of ten inundated ; shallow ditches, however, easily drain them, and when 
so drained they yield fair crops, especially of rice, cane, etc . These flat 
lands afford good pasturage for stock, and being well timbered, are desir- 
able for naval stores, resia, tar, turpentine, etc., as they are cheap and 
accessible. The trees can be profitably " bled " for turpentine, for five to 
seven years, then cut down for mill logs, when the land is easily brought 
into cultivation ; the pasturage is continuous until planted. 

All pine lands are favorable for health. The resinous, balsamic odor 
of leaf and tree, the absence of undergrowth, giving a free circulation of 
air, the leafy crowns of the .soughing pines, giving a grateful shade from 
the rays of the mid-day sun, combine to fix the settler's residence in a nat- 
ural park of piney woods. 

The richest lands are swamp, high and low hammocks, first-class 
pine, oak and hickory lands; the swamp lands being similar to the bot- 
toms or valleys of the Mississippi and other Western rivers, being of com- 
paratively recent alluvial formation, enriched by annual additions of sur- 
face soil and vegetable debris which fill up the lower surfaces ; such lands, 
however, have to be ditched and drained to be made permanently avail- 
able, but once prepared, they will produce for all time abundantly. 

Low hammocks are somewhat of the nature of swamp and hammock, 
producing quite as well as swamp land, but not for so long a period. The 
soil is deep, but requires ditching. For sugar cane they are well 
adapted. 

High hammocks are the most sought for by the old-time planter. The 
land is undulating, the surface soil is of rich vegetable mold mixed with 
a sandy loam, a substratum of marl or clay, or both mixed, and they are 



8 N0TE8 ON FLORIDA. 

uniformly productive. Tliey are not seriously affected by drouth or wet; 
once cleared, cultivation is easy; producing the various crops equally well. 
For diversified farming, they are reliable ; small farmers generally prefer 
and select the first-class pine lands, and the oak and hickory lands, which 
are quite extensivi-iy situated in tlie cintnd iwrtiou of the State, as they are 
less expensive to clear up than the hammock or swamp lands. Besides the 
above, tliere are large savannas on the coast and in the extreme southern 
portion of the Stale, wliich are of great extent and treeless as a Western 
prairie: of course, rich, l)ut too expensive too reclaim at this time. 

While all the varieties of the lands noticed may be found in every sec- 
tion of the Stale, yet the proportion varies in different sections. 

The prevailing cliaracter of the soil is sandy: not the sharp silicious 
sand of the ocean, or the barren smdy lands of the other States; this 
sandy soil has more or less of loam and a large percentage of lime and 
organic remains, giving it much fertility. 

The country is well watered, not only l)y its larger and smaller 
rivers and lakes, but by innumerable creeks and springs. Mineral springs, of 
great volume, are found in every portion of the State, some t)f such mag- 
nitude that they form navigaljle rivers from their source: of such are the 
Blue Springs, in Jackson county, in the west: Wakulla Springs, in Wa- 
kulla county, in the middle: Silver Springs, in Marion county, in the east; 
the very large Blue Spring on the St. Johns, in Volusia county: the Green 
Cove Spring, in Clay c(junty, on the shore of the Si. Johns; also Clay 
Spring, in Orange county. Most of the.se are medicinal, white sulphur, 
iron, &c. 

Good water, so universally desired, is found easily at a ilepth of from 
eight to fifty feet, according to locality, generally from twelve to twenty 
feel, but, through the country, the many lakes and sjirings and branches 
afford ample supply for house and farm purposes. If cistern water is pre- 
ferred, the average rainfall, being from forty eight to fifty -four inches 
annually, assures a supply. The distribution of rivers, creeks, lakes and 
springs, is not only large, but remarkably uniform throughout the State. 

With the advantages of soil, climate and water, Florida presents a fer- 
tile field for the cultivation of a great range of fruits and grain, with little 
labor and small cash outlay. 

In every month of the year the famier may feed his family and stock 
from food fresh gathered from his field or garden. 



NOTES ON FLORIDA. 



9 



Corn (maize), cotton, tobacco, sugar, rice, wheat, rye, oats, oranges, 
lemons, limes, cantelopes, water-melons, musk-melons, grapes, shaddock, 
citrons, bananas, pineapples, tarmarinds, paw-paws, pecans, almonds, 
plums, persimmons, apples, pomegranates, pears, quinces, peaches, olives, 
blackberries, strawberries, peanuts, sweet and common potatoes, turnips, 
peas, beets, cabbages, tomatoes, okra, egg-plant, l^eans, onions, cucumbers, 
cauliflower, asparagus and barley, comprise only a partial list of the many 
productions which Florida so abundantlj^ yields. 

A pamphlet issued by the aiithorities of the State, sa}^s : "We want popu- 
' lation from every State in the Union, and from every country in Europe; 
' we want the thrifty and industrious to join us in occupying and building 
' up the vacant places in our favored State, that they may secure pleasant 
' homes or themselves and their families. We invite them to locale and be- 
' come the owners of their homes in fee-simple forever : we want them to 
' become citizens, and have Avitli us equal political privileges and respon- 
' sibilities in all the obligations imposed upon citizens under a Republican 
' form of government; we want persons skilled in a great variety of me- 
' chanical and agricultural pursuits, in fact, in all of the industries of life, 
' for we have a State possessed of the requisite conditions for successful 
' cultivation and devclopemeut. 

" We want, especially, persons skilled in gardening and fruit growing; 
' in the cultivation of tobacco, sugar and grain; we want grape, orange 
' and olive growers, together with the whole lange of semi-tropical fruits. 
■' We want immigrants especially that will bring along with them suffi- 
' cient means and energy to enter upon l)usiness for themselves, to buy our 
' cheap lands, become permanent residents, practical fruit growers and 
' successful agriculturists, or who will follow some mechanical or manu- 
' facturing occupation." 

To all such, a rich reward is sure and speedy. 

Nowhere in the world can a poor man so easily and cheaply secure a 
home and competence. 

The climate, soil, health, cheapness of lands, staple and special produc- 
tions, easy access and egress by land and water, form of government, low 
taxes, a small State debt, — all present superior advantages, especially foi 
the poor, or those in moderate circumstances, for securing a good home. 

At the outset the immigrant asks, How shall I at once procure a support 
for myself and family ? Premising that the new-comer means to work — 



10 NOTES ON FLORIDA. 



intends to stay — he can go to work at once and raise food from the soil. 
New pine hinds, broken up with the srass tinned in, will grow good 
crops of .sweet potatoes and cow peas, with but slight cultivation. These 
crops inclosed in fields, the grass covered soon becomes rotted, and the soil 
easily worked. Corn, cane, cotton may now be planted, as also veiretables, 
in the same field and with the crops; orange, lemon and other fruit trees 
may be planted, where they are to remain at regular distances apart, both 
ways. The vineyard may also be put out, as well as smaller fruit, about 
the premises. The pea-vines, with peas, will afford forage for stock : peas 
and potatoes for food. Succeeding the peas and potatoes, tiu'nip? and on- 
ions, beets, cabbage and similar semi hardy vegetables may be grown from 
the late summer to the next late spring months, nearly the year round. 
The immigrant can ea.sily gather about him hogs, which will ranffe for their 
own living, potatoes being fed to them in the fall. Poultry are no care for 
feed or support: game and fish are to be had for the seeking. It will soon 
be seen that the food question is easily solved. Year by year his crops are 
increasing, comforts added to : he has within himself the accessories of a 
comfortable home. In the meantime his grove of oranges, lemons, and his 
vines, are growing apace; in a few short years he scents in the early spring 
the sweet odor of the orange bloom, sees the green fruit gradiially increas- 
ing in size, and as autumn months come on. gladdens his eves with the 
sight of the golden fruit which now will yield him a substantial return. It 
has taken less than half a .score of years to make a new home which yields 
ample support and sure increasing income for the future. 

A comfortable log house can be built for about fifty dollars, wbile a 
frame one will cost from $250 to $300, or more, accordinc to the number 
of rooms required. Cellars are unnecessary, nor is even glass in the win- 
dows or plastering on the walls or ceilings, thouirh the.se are desirable if 
the settler's means afford it. The house should be well set up from the 
ground, and the wide hall and broad piazza which is characteristic of most 
homes in the South, will be found to add greatly to the comfort of the settler. 

The cost of clearing land is very small compared to the timbered lands of 
most sections, and varies with the character of the growth, and also 
whether the land is to be planted in orange or olive groves or in grain. 
Ordinary pine land can be cleared for from ?12 to $15 per acre, while ham- 
mock land will cost from $15 to $25. according to the density and size 
of the timber. 



NOTES ON FLORIDA. 11 

Nearly everything that the settler requires for food can be obtained al- 
most immediately from his land, while the ordinary necessities of life may 
be had at reasonable rates. A recent price list in Jacksonville, gives the 
following: Flour, $4 to $8 per barrel ; bacon, $5 per hundred pounds; 
sugar, 7 cents per lb., butter. 20 cents per pound; coffee, 15 to 35 cents per 
pound, and other prices, as well as of hardware and other goods, as cheaply 
as at the North. Servants are easily obtained at from $5 to $8 per month 
for house servants, and farm laborers for 50 to 75 cents per day or from $8 
to .$10 a month. Horses and mules can be bought for from $50 to $150, 
the latter being the best for all work, and are cheapest. Harness can be 
bought for from $5 to $10, and a cart will cost from $35 to $30. Furni- 
ture and tools can be bought as cheaply as in the North. 

The most desirable lands iu the whole State are found in the counties 
bordering along the St. Johns river, which flows northward over two hun- 
dred miles at an average distance of twenty -five miles from and parallel to 
the Atlantic coast. This river is rich in beautiful scenery, and is navigable 
for large vessels nearly to its source. At frequent intervals the broad 
river widens into beautiful lakes, bDrdered with high rolling lauds, which 
are rich with the l)est timber in the State, and are well watered l)y numer- 
ous small streams which form a natural drainage for the luxurious soil. 

Lake George, the largest of the bodies of water along the river men- 
tioned, is about one hundred miles from Jacksonville, the capital of the 
State, and is some twenty -five miles long by ten in its greatest width, and 
is bordered on the east by Volusia county, and on the west by Orange and 
Marion counties. 

In the two counties last named, lies a large tract of land which is situ- 
ated on the west side of Lake George, near its head, and which is inter- 
sected by Juniper river. The tract is known as the Howgate Grant, and 
was given, in 1817, b}^ the King of Spain, to Don Fernando de la Marza 
Arredondo, a distinguished Spanish officer, iu recognition of long con- 
tinued and Viiluable services iu the province, and was selected in person 
by Don Fernando, who was familiar with the whole country. 

The laud so located by tlie noble Spaniard is now offered for settlement, 
and presents advantages for the agriculturist which'prove the good judg- 
ment of Don Fernando. Tlie title, which was originally a royal warrant, 
was confirmed to its owner when tlie province became the territory of the 
United States, in 1831. 



12 NOTES ON FLORIDA. 



Tlie graat is composed of " first class pine " and " hammock " lands. 
The neighboring region is generally settled bj- small farmers of Spanish, 
French and Euirlish descent, and is the most populous region of the 
Florida peninsula, thus affording the settler ample facilities for procuring 
all he may need at small prices, and a convenient market for his products. 
There is no month in the year, as before stated, but that fresh and 
growing vegetables may be had for sale and home|use, and the latter solves 
a considerable problem in the expense of living. The soil is so rich, and 
so easily worked and cultivated, that most of garden work can be done bj' 
youiiii' children of either sex, and in fact, most Florida gardens are so 
made. Tliere are no frozen clods of earth to break, or rocks to remove. 

A garden once put m condition is easilj' managed, and will 'jproduce 
constantly and abundantlj'; while the rapid growth produces large and 
tender vegetables, and early and luscious fruit. 

A single season will yield strawberries from the .setting out, and ripe 
figs may be had from cuttings from two year old trees; the vines will yield 
grapes the second year; peach trees will bear the second and third years; 
and oranges may be raised from the bud in from three to five years. At 
little cost, with little care, one can enjoy fresh plucked fruit throughout 
the whole j'ear. 

In January, j'ou may plant Irish potatoes, peas, beets, turnips, cabbage, 
and all ^he liardy vegetables, and set out fruit trees and such shrubbery as 
may be wanted. It is also time to prepare sheltered beds for more tender 
vegetables, which will be more valuable for shipment to northern markets, 
such as tomatoes, melons, egg plant. &c. 

In February, plant again as in .lanuary. so that a later crop may be bad: 
and in addition plant all vines you wi.sh to grow, and set out or bud your 
orange, lemon and olive trees, or make the necessary grafting or budding. 
Bed sweet potatoes for slips, and oats may be sown (as may also be done in 
October, November, December, January. March and April.) 

In March. i»lant corn and all the other range of products of February, 
and transplant your tomato, melon, and other vines. Mulberries and black- 
berries are ripe in this inoiitli. 

In April, plant as in the preceediug montiis (except Irish potatoes), 
turnips, &c., and the Irish potatoes will l)e ready to dig. In this mouth 
onions, beets, and the usual early vegetables will be ready for use on the 
table and for shipment to the North. 



NOTES ON FLORIDA. 13 

In May, plant more sweet potatoes, beans and corn. Your peas, cucum- 
bers and other snch vegetables are now fully ready for gathering, and the 
early corn is ready for use. 

In June, sweet potatoes and peas, and other such products may again be 
planted (to keep up the succession) and the Irish potatoes, tomatoes, and all 
the range of vegetables, as well as plums, peaches and grapes, are now ripe 
for food. 

In July, sweet potatoes and peas may be planted, and, if the season be 
rainy, it is well to set out orange trees. Grapes, peaches, figs^ and other 
fruits are in full season, 

August is the latest month in which sweet potatoes and pe is may be 
planted and prosper, but is adapted for the sowing of cabbage and cauli- 
flower seed, and especially for transplanting or budding orange trees. To- 
ward the latter part of the month a few Irish potatoes and beans should b3 
planted. 

September, October and November, are the -eal gardening mouths in 
this fair land. Except sweet potatoes, you may plant nearly every vege- 
table which is so dear to palate and purse in the early spring in the 
North. Beginning in September, set out strawberry and cabbage plants, 
asparagus, onions, early (or garden) peas, and sow oats, barley, rj'e and 
wheat; and the same work may be continued in October and November. 

In December, all the hardy vegetables and grain may be put m the 
ground. This is also a good month in which to plant and set out orange, 
lemon, olive, peach and other fruit trees. 

This sketch of the ordinary routine of planting, is taken from observa- 
tions based on the experience of persons living in the neighborhood of 
Lake George (latitude 29" 15' North), and extending over a range of many 
years. 

The extent of this work is too constricted to attempt to give in detail 
the facts in relation to the wide range of the vegetable products of this 
favored State, which are alike valuable for manufacture or consumption, 
but a few deserve more than a mere passing notice. 

THE ORANGE. 

This golden fruit is a native of Florida, but in its wild state is sour, or 
a bitter-sweet, small in si/e and unpleasant to the taste. These wild trees 



14 NOTES ON FLORIDA. 



being grafted or budded, produce iu from two to five ytars, such enormous 
amounts of fruit as almost to seem incredible. The tree is also grown from 
the seed (bearing fruit in four years), and from cuttings, but the latter 
method is I)}- no means so reliable, and in many cases bears inferior fruit. 

In no way, in this state, can a small tract of land (unless the olive be ex- 
cepted), be made at so small an expenditure of labor and money, to yield 
80 large a return in so short a time. As an investment for future income, 
nothing is safer than an orange grove of from one to fifteen acres. Large 
groves are of the latter extent, though the majority of them are from 
five to ten acres. 

The crop is sure, and after the trees begin bearing, the first two year's 
crop will usually pay for all expense for land, labor and trees, and a liberal 
amount besides for interest on the investment; and the older the trees be 
come, up to about a hundred years, the better and surer the crop iu abun- 
dance. They require care and attention, little, to be sure, but constant; and 
if these are given them, there is no tree in this country that shows a more 
rapid growth, nor any fruit-bearing tree that so soon reaches maturitj'. 
The health}-, thrifty trees have no enemies. 

To make ;iu orange grove, choose high, dry hammock, or rolling pine 
land that has natural drainage. The most favorable locations are in the 
immediate neighborhood of wide sheets of water, and more especially in 
the eastern and eastern central portions of the State, as these portions, from 
the proximitj- of the great ocean river, the Gulf Stream, are usually free 
from the occasional frost which at rare times visits the northern and west- 
ern portions of the State. 

The land being selected, should be well cleared of tunber and then 
broken up. The best cla.ss of trees to obtain are tho.se of from three 
to five year's growth (from seed): taken up carefully with all the roots 
possilile, and should be packed with wet moss as soon as dug, and kept 
in the shade and sheltered from the wind, until ready for planting. 

Dig the holes about thirty feet apart, eighteen inches deep and at 
lea.st four feet across, and then fill them with top soil (to retain the moist- 
ure), if you are not then ready to set out your trees. When the tree is ready 
take out so much of the lop soil as will leave sufllcient space for the tree, 
and set the tree in the hole, standing in the same position in which it had 
been giowing before, and with the roots carefully spread. Fill in the soil 
gently under and around the roots (by hand is by far the best), and this 



NOTES ON FLORIDA. 15- 



|100 00 


150 00 


150 00 


400 00 


1000 00 



should be gently tramped down, when filled to the surface. Then throw 
on some two or three inches of top soil, to prevent drying, and leave this 
until the wet season sets in, when tlie earth should be leveled off. The 
ground between the trees should ba well broken up, and lightly cultivated, 
and it is well to sjw with "cow" (or held) peas, which may be done 
before or after planting the trees. Othjr vegetables, or grain may hi 
raised between the rows of trees, leaving a liberal space vacant around 
each. 

Ten acres of well grown trees, in five years from planting, will have 
cost a settler, including land, clearing, feaciug, trees, labor, taxes, and 
everything, about one thousand eight hundred dollars in all, as follows : 

COST OF GROA^E 

Ten acres of laud, ....-- 

Cutting timber, clearing, . . - - - 

Fencing (post and board fence), and breaking up, 

Six huudred trees, and setting out, 

Manures, labor, cultivating, taxes, etc., for five years, 

Total, 11800 00 

Such a grove would readily sell now in Florida for $1,000 per acre. 
From and after five years the annual growth of trees and increase of fruit 
is constant for at least ten years, and the grove will hold its vigor and 
fruit-producing qualities for a century or more. 

At the same time, the growth of vegetables would almost entirely 
have supplied his family with all necessary food, and the sale of the 
earlier products, such as potatoes, strawberries and berries, would yield a 
very considerable income. 

Trees usually bear (seedlings) at four years, and average at that age, 
about one hundred oranges, and the next or fifth year, will each bear at least 
three hundred. The fruit is readily sold at the landings on the St. Johns 
river to shippers, at $2 per hundred. Thus, it will be seen, that ten acres 
of trees (supposing six hundred trees to be planted), at the end of five 
years, would represent an income of at least $3,600 per annum, less only 
the expense of plucking and delivering the fruit. 

Every year the value of an orange tree increases, and a single tree has 
been known to produce from 5,000 to 7,000 oranges annually, and it is 
commonly expected that a tree of ten years growth will yield at least 



16 NOTES ON FLORIDA. 



2,000. No orange grovo in FloridA can be bo\ight to-day, where the trees 
have just begun to bear fruit, for less than $1,000 per acre. 

STRAWBERRIES. 

This splendid fruit yields large crops in Florida, and will bear 
profu.sely the very first season. Plants may be set out in September, fre- 
quently ripen in January and February, but are in full bearing in March 
and April, from two to five months earlier than at Baltimore, Washington, 
or New York; and are largely raised for shipment to the Northern market, 
in which they meet with ready sale at very profitable prices. 

A gentleman residing on the St. Johns river, near Jacksonville, set out 
one acre of strawberry plants in November, 1875, and in less than two 
months (January 6, 1876), shipped ripe fruit to the North, aud continued 
to make daily shipments until the twentieth of the next June. From that 
single acre of strawberry plants, he realized a net profit of over si, ^00 in 
less than eight months. 

During the past fall, a number of strawberry growers made contracts in 
advance for their whole crops, at thirty-five cents per (piart. 

THE OLIVE TREE 

ha.s been introduced into the State but comparatively a few years: but the 
success attending its culture has astonished even those experimenting with 
it. The tree is grown from the .seed, in which case it begins bearing in 
about ten years, or may be propagated by cuttings or gi-aftiag. and by bud- 
ding with the small knots called wovoli. which contain embryo buds in little 
swellings along the bark of the older tree, when the young trees will liear 
at six years of age. From the first besiring the yield increases annually, 
until about thirty yetu-s old, and remains in full vigor for hundreds of years. 

The tree in full vigor yields on an aveiiige of two to three bushels of 
fruit, which will produce from fifteen (o twenty pounds of oil. Avhich meets 
with ready sale at a hand.some profit. 

The fruit is greedily eaten I»y cattle, sheep, hogs ami poultry, and it 
would pay handsomely to culitvate the tre<' even for this iiinpos( . Toullry 
especially are very fontl of the fruit, wliidi produces a delicious flavor in 
the meat. 



NOTES ON FLORIDA. 17 

In making a grove of olive trees, the plants should be set out in rows, 
as apple trees are planted, and an acre of ground should contain about one 
hundred trees. Crops may be raised between the trees, and if sheep be 
raised, it is found to benefit the trees by herding the sheep'in the enclosure. 

It is a branching, evergreen tree, of slow growth, but is hardy (more so 
even than the orange), and will prosper even in barren soil. 



GRAPES. 

AH varieties, both American and foreign, are easily grown in all parts 
of the State, ripening from June till November. The St. Augustine, a na- 
tive grape, is a choice grape for wine making or eating. The Scuppernong 
in all its varieties, is largely cultivated, being a rapid grower, bears abun- 
dantly, is long lived, and requires but little pruning or care. The black 
Hambnrg and the California Mission grape are among the best and most 
rapid varieties in obtaining maturity. The Scuppernong is found most 
profitable for export, for table use, or making wine. 



MELONS, &C. 

The Northern man or European, whose idea of large products of the 
melon and squash families, has been formed from viewing the prize 
melons, pumpkins and squashes of agricultural exliibitions is astonished 
at the enormous growth attained by such fruits in Florida. It is no rare 
thing to see water melons as large as a nail keg, and of seventy pounds 
weight; musk melons of twenty to thirty pounds; and pumpkins and 
squashes will often weigh one hundred pounds. Water melons, which do 
not weigh at least twenty-five pounds, are hardly considered salable; 
those of thirty to forty pounds being the average size shipped to market. 

Eaising melons consists in merely planting the seeds among the corn- 
patches, where they are left uncared for until ready for market; the best 
varieties only are planted, and the flavor seems more delicious, the flesh more 
crisp and solid than in any other country in the world. Musk melons and 
canteloupes are also of gi-eat size and as easily raised (in the same manner) 
as the water melon, and all tlie varieties are ready for shipment by May; 
ihe season continuing until late in August. 



b 



18 AOTES ON FLORIDA. 



SWRET POTATOES 

Are as universal iu the South as rice iii China, maccaroni in Italy, or 
the potatoe in Ireland, and is produced in a profusion and small expense 
of labor, that astonishes the visitor to Florida. White or black, no family 
is so poor as not to own a patch of this fine tuber. It yields all the way 
from one hundred bushels to the acre, on poor ground, to five hundred on 
good soil, where some cultivation is done. It may be had for twelve 
months in the year, fresh from the jrround. and is grown from the roots , 
draws or slips. The old vines of the last crops may be pulled and cut into 
lengths of a foot each, when these are set in small ridges thrown up by a 
small shallow plow, and the patch is ready. 

BANANA, PINE APPLE. ETC. 

In Florida the pine apple and banana are successfully grown: the fruit 
is of a finer quality, and larger size, than most imported from abroad. The 
banana plant is simply planted and let alone, maturing its fruit in from fif- 
teen to eighteen mouths; shedding its large leaves, it dies down, and sends 
up suckers at its ba.se, a single one of which perpetuates the old stock. 
The others ma}- be replanted in ncAV places. Raw or cooked, as an article 
of food it is ver^- nutritious, and most people esteem its taste and tiavor. 
No fniit is more health}'. 

The pine apple is planted from the suckers or shoots of the matured 
fruit or main sto(-k ; it is planted at about .same distance and cultivated as 
corn. The guava, of which there are several varieties in size, color and 
taste, is a rapid grower and an abundant bearer. It fruits in two years 
from seed, is delicious as a table fniit when ripe, and makes a superior 
marmalade, jelly and preserves. The sappodillo, paw-paw. sugar-apple, 
tamarind, date, and other similar fruits, do well in South Florida. The 
cocoa-nut, especially, does well on the coast and Keys, producing e.xlra- 
sized fruit. 

OTHER FRUITS AND PRODUCTS. 

The limit of this little work does not permit the space to dwell at length 
on the many other rare ami luxuriant fruits, vegetables and grain, which 



NOTES ON FLORIDA. 19' 



makes Florida the very garden spot of the world, but among them the fol- 
lowing serve to show the wide range. 

INDIAN CORN, 

is easily raised, and on the pine hammock lands, yields a large return to the 
acre, and requires but little cultivation; is planted from February to April, 
and is ready for gathering in June and July. 



WHEAT, RYE, OATS, BARLEY AND BUCKWHEAT, 

all do well, and under proper cultivation prosper as well as in the North. 
Each is sown early in the fall, and mature in earty spring. 



PEACHES 

are a sure and prolific crop, bearing fruit in two j^ears from the seed, and 
ripen in May, June and July. 

APPLE, PEAR AND QUINCE 

trees yield abundantly, and are free from disease. Apples ripen in May 
and June. The pear does well, and some are grown which rival the 
huge ones from the California trees. The quince tree attains the usual 
size of the apple tree and is larger than those of Northern growth. 

THE PERSIMMON 

is found wild in every section of the State, and is of more pleasant taste 
than those grown farther North. The Japanese varieties graft easily on 
the native tree, and produce a fruit as large as an apple, and are free 
from seeds. 

JAPAN PLUMS 
are much grown. The tree, in size and leaf, resembles the horse chest- 



NOTES ON FLORIDA. 



nut; the fruit is pear-shaped, and grows in large clusters; is cream 
colored, and is a delicious table fruit. 

THE POMEGRANATE 

# bush is abutidant, and is largely grown for ornamental purposes, both for 

its beauti ful pendant crimson flowers and its rich pink fruit. 



PLUMS 

grow wild all over the State, and in cultivation, rival the best varieties, in 
size and flavor. 

MULBERRY 

trees, of the different species, grow to perfection from root, cutting or 
draft, and are in leaf from March to October. Silk growing has attracted 
considerable attention, and in time, by tbe immigi-ation of skilled- silk 
raisers, the business will become a regular and profitable industry. 

THE INDIGO 
plant is a native of Florida, and could be made a large source of profit. 

THE CASTOR 

bean attains a size of twenty-five to thirty feet in height and bears pro- 
fusely. 

PEANUTS 

grow abundantly, and larger than those raised further North. Farmers 
freueqntly plant small patches in which swine are tiu-ned, they being very 
fond of the nut, which tends to richly flavor the pork, 

THE PECAN 

tree is abundant in the forests, and is valuable for timber, as well as for 
its fruit. 



NOTES ON FLORIDA. 21 



ALMONDS 

are grown in gardens, and bear well. 

The list would comprise many pages, especially of farm and garden 
products, but the following list of fruits, vegetebles, &c., which were 
grown during one season on a single plantation but a short distance north 
of Lake George, will partially convey the desired idea, viz : 

Corn, sugar cane, cotton, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, arrow root, 
pop corn, cow (or field) peas, sweet peas, jute, tea plants, peaches, tama- 
rinds, oranges, lemons, limes, shaddocks, grape fruit, figs, bananas, pine 
apples, cocoa nuts, persimmons, Japanese persimmons, blackberries, 
whortleberries, beans, strawberries, lettuce, radishes, water melons, musk- 
melons, canteloupes, squashes, carrots, parsnips, pumpkins, tomatoes, cab 
bage, onions, beets, turnips, cucumbers, celery, plums, Japan plums, pe- 
can nuts, black walnuts, English walnuts, hickory nuts, sage, rice, tobac- 
co, castor beans, okra, mulberries, pomegranites, cauliflower, egg plant, 
guava, almonds, filberts, rye, oats, wheat, barley, buckwheat, millet, 
apricots, apples, quinces, asparagus, citrons, oyster plant, hemp, indigo and 
olives; a list of seventy-seven fruits or valuable plants for manufacture or 
consumption. 

COST OF STOCK. 

Cattle can be bought for $15 a head, and hogs (full grown), for $4; and 
none of these require to be fed, as they range in the woods and find their 
own food. If the calves are kept penned at home, eattle will return each 
night. Chickens will cost twenty-five or thirty cents a piece, and all poul- 
try will find its own food, and requires no care. 

It will be seen that in no part of the civilized world can the farmer live 
so cheaply, or find his labor so remunerative as in this land. 

The forests are full of game (deer, turkeys, quail, &c.), and the waters 
are alive with ducks, geese, oysters, clams, shrimps, turtle, and almost 
every variety of salt and fresh water fish, and all are easily obtained. 

The land, so easily worked, is almost inexhaustible in strength, and 
produces crop after crop in the same year. A farmer located on the St. 
Johns river, writes as follow: " My crops last year consisted of water 
" melons, cabbages, beets, Irish potatoes, summer squash, snapbeans, cu- 



. 23 NOTES ON FLORIDA. 

" cumbers and tomatoes, and I succeeded in getting the first of nearly 
■' every article the lirst into the New York market. In addition. I raised 
■■ three acres of oats and twenty acres of com. I sent to market about 
" 5,000 melons, 45 barrels of cabbage, 30 bushels of beets. 35 barrels of 
" potatoes, 45 bushels of summer squashes, 50 bushels of snap beans. 450 
•' bushels of cucumbers, and 65 bushels of tomatoes; and got fair crops 
'• of oats and corn. All of these crops except the corn, were harvested and 
" sent to market before July 1. I also planted half an acre of sweet 
'■ potatoes, which I will gather in November. Of the melons, there were 
" thousands that were left m the field, ripening too late for profitable 
'■ shipment North, and hundreds of bushels of cucumbers were also left. 
'• When 1 stopped picking cucumbers, I was getting 150 bushels a week." 
One man sold his whole crop of tomatoes in March last at fO per 
bushel, realizing a net profit of 1750 per acre. 

Another raised 6,000 head of cabbages on one acre, and sold them at 
a town three miles away (in November) for eight and ten cents a head; in 
the next spring, on the same ground he dug 150 bushels of Irish potatoes, 
which sold for $2.50 and $3 per bushel; and in the succeeding July dug 
100 bushels of sweet potatoes which sold for GO cents per bushel (a period 
of less than one year); thus making at the lowest figures, a clear profit of 
$915 for one acre of land, 

THE GOVERNMENT. 

The present 6tate Corfstitution was adopted in 18G8, and is similar to 
those of most of the Northern States. 

Foreigners who become residents, enjoy the .same rights as to property, 
as native born citizens. 

All property of a wife, whether acquired before or after marriage, is 
made separate to herself, and is not liable for the debts of the husband. 

The free school system is firmly established throughout the State, and is 
supported by extensive land grants and appropriations, and by a State tax 
of one mill on all taxable property: in addition to which each county must 
levy a tax of one-half of one mill for the same purpose. 

The whole taxes, under the State Constitution, may not be more than 
fifteen and one-half mills for all ta.xcs. and may be six mills less, as decided 
by each county. The taxes are assessed on a valuation of from fifty cents 



NOTES ON FLORIDA. 23 



to $2.50 per acre, and therefore compare advantageously with any other 
State in the Union, or of any country in the world. 

Every m ale person twenty-one years of age, who shall be, or shall 
have declared his intention to become a citizen of the United States, has 
resided in the State one year, and in the county six months, may vote in 
the election districts where registered. Bribery, perjury, larceny, wagers 
on election, fighting a duel or accepting a challenge, disfranchise. 

Ch urches of various denominations, are within easy reach of nearly 
every settlement, and are zealously fostered by all classes. 

Population of Orange Couuty in 1870, 2,195: in 1880, 6,190. 

Population of Monroe County in 1870, 10,804; in 1880, 13,000. 

The Howgate Grant is offered for sale in lots of ten acres each, at a 
.ow price and on easy terms. 

For further information address, 

H. W. HOWGATE, 

75 Maiden Lane, 

NEW VORK, 
Op, 

1424 New York Avenue, 

>a;^ASHINGT/DN, D. C, 



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